Korean word

참

Pronunciation

Romanizationcham

Meaning

  • adverbreally

Example

이 음식이 참 맛있다.i eum si gi cham ma sit tta

This food is really delicious.

Illustration for 참 (really)

More examples

오늘 하루 종일 일해서 참 피곤하다.o neul ha ru chong il il hae seo cham pi gon ha da

I am really tired from working all day today.

Core concept

It makes an adjective sound much stronger and shows strong feeling.

Common phrases

  • 참 피곤하다cham pi gon ha da

    really tired

  • 참 행복하다cham haeng bo ka da

    really happy

Similar words

정말cheongmal: Makes agreement, admiration, surprise, or another judgment sound especially strong.
진짜chinjja: Directly emphasizes that something is truly so or especially strong.
완전wanjeon: Presents a reaction as extremely strong in relaxed conversation.
너무neomu: Intensifies a quality greatly and can show that a suitable limit has been crossed.

Definition in Korean

정도나 진실성을 강조하여 감정이나 의견을 강하게 나타낼 때 쓰이는 부사로, 주로 형용사 앞에 놓인다.cheong do na chin sil seong eul kang jo ha yeo kam jeong i na ui gyeo neul kang ha ge na ta nael ttae sseu i neun pu sa ro chu ro hyeong yong sa a pe no in da

Word origin

참 (cham, "true or genuine") is a native Korean word that developed from expressing truth or genuineness to emphasizing how strongly a speaker feels.

Usage tips

  • 참 (cham, "really") can strengthen praise or a complaint, so the whole sentence shows whether the feeling is happy or frustrated.

Opposites

Word lists with this word